We’re glad to see our focus on usability pay off as we really think it’s a crucial aspect when designing an ERP experience and one that is often sacrificed at the expense of adding even more features and bells and whistles. Given the importance of usability and our obsession about it (as well as a little surprise that’s coming up soon) we decided to go a bit deeper and ask the article’s author Forrest Burnson, a couple of questions on the subject.
Here are his views on UI/UX:
1. Why did you choose to include Megaventory in the list of online inventory management software with a top UI?
I particularly liked how organized and clean the UI was. Not only is it intuitive and aesthetically pleasing, but it is able to present a lot of information on-screen without being too cluttered.
2. What is the most innovative idea or usability element you have seen in modern interfaces?
I think now more than ever, software developers and engineers are making greater strides to really put themselves in the shoes of the end user. They’re thinking a lot more about how long it takes the average user to figure out how to use their software. So that’s one thing. The growing prominence of web-based, SaaS applications has also been huge. When you’re developing an application for a web browser, you’re generally faced with more limitations compared to a desktop application. But those limitations might be more of a blessing than a curse – you’re able to integrate standard web design best practices that the user is already familiar with, which generally forces you to keep it simple and intuitive. While it might be a bit of a no-brainer to say that being able to use a web browser to access an application is incredibly innovative, it can’t be stated enough.
3. What are the characteristic UI/UX elements online services should have which are the most sought after by end users?
Simplicity, familiarity and readability. End users want something that isn’t too different from what they are used to, and they want it to be simple. They don’t want to have to do a lot of reading – people generally scan web pages. The less clicking and typing they have to do, the better.
4. What do you see as being the future of UI/UX in online services?
Can you believe what UI/UX on the web looked like just ten years ago? The terrible fonts, the flash animations, the lack of white space, etc. And now we’re at this point where things look utterly stunning, and developers and software engineers are really responding to the market demand for applications that look nice and are easy to use. And it’s only going to get better. In terms of what that means for the future, it really comes down to what kind of devices people are using. Tablet and smartphone adoption is through the roof, so we will definitely see even greater UI/UX optimization toward those devices.
And of course, having said all that here is his post on the best inventory management system user interfaces.
Dimitris Athanasiadis oversees Operations and Customer Relations in Megaventory.